Mercedes F1 team Chief Engineer Andrew Shovlin reveals the team has some interesting projects prepared for the 2025 car.
After multiple Formula One seasons of dominance in the years 2014-2020 and breaking records for most consecutive Constructors' as well as Drivers' Championships in the history of F1, Mercedes considers third place in 2022 and current second place in Constructors' Championship as a disappointment.
The team is working hard each and every race, striving for improvement, collecting data, and looking for ways to catch on to the dominant
Red Bull. While this season is already decided in terms of the title, as reported by
Formula 1, Mercedes chief engineer Andrew Shovlin says the team must be careful not to lose second place to
Ferrari.
"We also mustn’t lose sight of the fact that we are in a really tight battle for P2 with Ferrari and that position in the championship is really important to all of us, and so we have upgrades in the pipeline and will continue to keep bringing them to the car."
Mercedes seemed to have been struggling particularly on the tracks that require lower downforce setup. The performance varied from track to track, however, the team could not measure up to Red Bull during any Grand Prix besides Singapore.
"The performance was very, very track specific. So, some areas we have improved. The big issues, we’re just not quick enough. So, we need to find a good chunk of performance, to challenge Red Bull in particular. But the other thing is the field is now super close"
Mercedes driver
Lewis Hamilton expressed his feelings about not being confident in the car multiple times throughout the 2023 season. Confidence in cars is a crucial factor for drivers to perform at the top of their level, and Shovlin mentions it is an area that the team will focus on while hinting that Mercedes has some "interesting" projects prepared for the next season.
"So, there’s lots for us to work on and certainly some of the work will be about making sure we can give the drivers the confidence in the car that they’re lacking at the moment. And that’s a big area. We’ve got some interesting projects that hopefully they’ll come off."